Clark_Kent

iTrader: (5)

^Says the guy with a quote from The Fast and the Furious.
Go away.

ChrisM623

I had a 06 STI for 3 years before the Evo and it was setup great for Autocross.

It was Stage 2, TBE and pro tune. Made 300whp/350wtq. Was a blast to drive. So much torque compared to the evo.

It handled great but it had pretty bad over steer. It was fun as hell, but competitively you really had to watch it on the track. The STI right off the show room floor under steers really bad, so between the two choice...I took the over steer.

My Evo is 100% stock. Here is my impressions.

Exterior: Too subjective, can't compare.

Interior: Too subjective. The 08+ evo is much better then the priors but it's still not a car I walk into thinking "Wow, this cost 40k. The STI does have a nicer gauge cluster but the Evo has a nicer radio/nav.

Seats: Evo wins hands down. Subaru had nice seats, but they were not grippy. Evo seats hold me like no other.

Power: Stock for Stock it's a hard call. Drivers race IMO. Stage 2 STI is a beast...I've never been in a Stage 2 Evo but I imagine it does not have as much torque due to the 2L compared to the STI 2.5L.

Handling: Evo wins. Car is 100% neutral on the track which amazes me to no end. Like I mentioned, the Subaru would under steer bad...the Evo...just goes where you point it. With about $1k I can put the Subaru in Evo territory but it still doesn't have the trick AWD system.

Storage: STI wins. This is a given. We all know how small the Evo trunk is lol

Reliability: The STI I had for 3 years and 56k miles. Not 1 problem. I kept up maintenance and she ran great. Stock clutch too. She was developing some bad squeaks from the rear, but that was all from the suspension mods. Did get really annoying though. I'm not sure how the Evo will hold out, I've only had it 2 months.

Hope that helps anyone who is on the fence.

ChrisM623

I forgot to mention. I would go back to a Subaru/STI if they came out with a car that was worth upgrading too.

Give the STI some nice exterior lines and upgrade the seats. Add some nice touches and I'd look at the Subaru again.

JHizzle

lol +1

DaveGSR

Had an 05 STi for 4 years. Protuned Stage 2, put down 306whp/342wtq. Had RCE T2's and sways with every bushing and every whiteline geometry kit. It was a total track car that I DD'd.

I bought it after seeing the 2006 redesign. At the time, and even now, I still find it to be quite ugly looking as did most people at the time. The 2008 STi has been almost Pontiac Aztek-like in the looks department and is what moved me away from Subaru for the forseeable future.

Same complaints that Subaru never addressed: Understeer, bad stereo, bad seats, power potential, lack of features. Some things don't change.

Saw an 08 up on a rack and could bend the rear suspension control arms with my bare hand...they're stamped U channels...very flimsy. Quality of the car vs. my 05 was down in several noticeable areas as a result of cost cutting. They really seemed to take an axe to the car's robustness over the years and the 08+ shows this glaringly. (Really not sure why reviews mention interior quality of the Subaru when everything is plastic now--since when is plastic quality?).

With my 05, I finally got fed up with getting beat up by the car on a daily basis. To be fair, I had created a track car and mainly DD'd it over the bad roads in PA...it would be grating for most. The quality of the car was still there other than squeaks and creaks induced from the stiff suspension. Interior held up great, not one single issue other than maintenance ever required on that car.

Handling-wise, on a street alignment I could never get the car to stop understeering. Not just from box turns where ham fisting the car like a newb would do it, but in steady state cornering as well. No matter what part I threw at the car to fix this glaring problem, it never entirely went away.

Power-wise, the midrange torque and short 6 speed gearing made the car an absolute rocket. Had no topend after 5k or so, but it was fun to romp on and short shift. Would keep up with damn near anything.

The Evo X is pretty much an exact opposite experience of my Subaru. It handles like nothing I have ever driven before and I've been having a hard time justifying it needing coilovers because of how well the stock dampers and springs are working out for me. The balance is neutral until the very end.

The interior is a step above my old Subaru due to the feature content. I love the Recaros, the RF Navigation stereo, the aux input, speed sensitive rain wipers, etc etc. The quality is exactly what I expected....it isn't economy car-like (have the people who say this been in a rental car lately?) but it isn't a BMW either...Perfect compromise.

The exterior looks with the aero kit I have are perfect. I wouldn't change a thing. Even the factory Enkeis or the BBS on the MR look great on the car. Mitsu did a hell of a job with the styling...especially vs. Subaru.

The power of the car is opposite of the STi as well...no low-end, minimal midrange...lots of top end. Very linear powerband, no surprises, no sledgehammer power delivery like the STi gave. Much quieter under WOT with the stock exhaust...just a very precise driving experience.

Years ago at the onset of the 2004 STi and Evo 8, Top Gear tested the two cars and Clarkson summed up the differences the best I've heard when he called the Subaru a fighter bomber and the Evo like an F-16 fighter jet.

The Evo is very precise, linear, quick-acting, light on its feet and agile...balanced...while the STi is a this heavier feeling monster that you have to really control at the limit and put a leash on...it goes its own way at times and you're more along for the ride.

So would I buy another STi after owning this Evo X?

Maybe...as a second car.

Would I buy the 08+ STi?

If hell froze over.

Brest Phan

I owned an 03 buyeye rex for 5 years. I drove it all over the USA literally and put 129,000 miles on it. It could go 143mph stock.

It was a great car for what it was and did everything I asked it to do pretty well. I sold it to buy the X and even today I feel guilty like I betrayed a friend. I never felt that way about a car before. The kid I sold it to has taken good care of it and has thrown some good mods into it and its still going strong last I checked.

I love the history of the wrx and the quality that went into its design and construction. However.....I think Subaru betrayed itself and its consumer base by cheapening their cars and bulding them much less robust and with less quality hi-tech in the engine and suspension.

A car design should go forward not backwards. The only excuse for going backwards is greed pure and simple, and forgetting your legacy.

I could not be a part of that so I went and test drove an X. At first I wasnt too sure. It was unfamiliar and everything seemed different. Then I went home and couldnt stop thinking about the car. So I bought it.

The X is by far a superior car. And having been a solid Subaru owner I can say with confidence that the Evo has consistantly improved and evolved while unfortunately the WRX and STI has been ruined. I believe Subaru lost its way after 04 both in terms of vision and philosphy whereas Mitsu seems to have a very clear direction they are going. Forward. My only compliant about the X would be that it might be a little heavy for its size but in terms of performance I havent noticed.

If I were to buy another car it would be an earlier version of the Evo.

And the Mistu motors have so much more potential. I have no fear of this motor popping. With the Subie I lived in constant fear of what to do when the time came that the boxer gave up especially having read the "Built Motor" forum on Nabisco for years.

Now, Ive driven my X all over the country, literally. And its never blinked. It just begs for more.

Ill never go back-

navidf

I come from a modded 05 STI: Noisy, rough riding, and pretty ugly (though I liked it).
It proved though to be reliable all the way to 55000 miles without a hiccup!
The seats were terrible.
Currently there is no way I will go back, but I LOVE to see Subaru do it right with a car to tempt us all: competition is always good for the consumers.